The three absolute energies of God (Bhagavan) and the creation

of the multiverse according to the ancient Vedic texts of India

There is no greater paradox than the notion of an eternal spirit soul (Jiva) existing within
every living entity. The symptom of its manifestation is the inexplicable reality we call
‘consciousness’ and yet it cannot be understood using our temporary, imperfect, material senses.
We are the soul, or the conscious life force within our bodies, and we are completely different from
our bodies, which are only highly complex machines. We sit in the heart, the seat of all energies of
the body. From there we experience the world through the wired machinery of the body’s senses, as
well as through the more subtle energies of mind, intelligence, and ego. Understanding the
difference between body and soul—between matter and spirit—is the beginning of spiritual life and
the only basis for true self-realization. Our body is constantly changing: infancy, childhood, youth,
middle age, old age, and finally death. But we, the unchangeable soul, witness this “virtual reality”
from within. That’s why, even though our body changes throughout life, we always keep our sense
of identity. Matter is temporary, and spirit is eternal. Therefore we eternal souls are more
important than our bodies. To understand this point is real knowledge. We are by nature eternally
happy and full of knowledge. The human body affords us the opportunity to perform spiritual
activities that will free us from getting further material bodies, which are by nature full of suffering.

According to the Vedic literature the living entity is not only a material body, but it is built
of three different layers. The visible material body is constituted of the elements of the periodic
system; this is our body that we see when we look in the mirror. The mind, intelligence and the false
ego constitute our subtle material body that we can’t experience with our senses. This covers the
soul, the real bearer of life- our real self. The soul is the real bearer of our personality, self. The
subtle body is like a cloud around the soul and the gross body is only a lot of complicated but lifeless
molecules. Herein lies the paradox. According to the Srimad-Bhagavatam, if you’re endeavoring
for realization of it's presence, it cannot be perceived by the mind, where duality and false ego
reside. It can only be realized via the heart chakra- where every living entities eternal companion
also resides- the localized Supersoul called Paramatma. The eternal vibration between the Jiva soul
and the Paramatma feature of Krishna is not a product of the ephemeral, manifested universe, it is
a transmutation from the realm that all souls originate- Vaikuntha-loka; the 'mind' (false-ego) is
formed in the brain, and it is a material energy so it is only a conduit with which to process the
exchange. This Supreme Absolute Truth is sub-atomic and it exists in the spaces between atoms and
is present within every atom. In this Paramatma feature, Krishna permeates the entire Cosmos via

the subatomic point of subspace throughout His entire Impersonal Brahman feature we call
creation. By chanting mantras (man means mind and tra means to liberate), which liberate the Jiva
soul from illusion, we unlock the eternal consciousness within. The Jiva soul is made of eternity,
bliss, and knowledge, called sat-chit-ananda (this is what Krishna's form comprises) and the
combination of mind and matter enclose this consciousness into the illusory and temporary form
you have now. A more detailed and elaborate explanation of the three energies of Krishna from
“The Hidden Glory of India” book by Steve Rosen-
"Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there
is no endurance and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by
studying the nature of both." —Sri Krishna, Bhagavad-gita 2.16.

The ancient Vedic literatures clearly reveal the nature and identity of the Absolute Truth or
Supreme Personality. One such reference is the first and second verses of the Vedanta Sutras. The
first verse states simply that “...now one should enquire into the Bhagavan.” This means

that now that you have attained a human body, you should use your intelligence to discover what is
really spiritual and what is the Absolute Truth. In no other form of life does the living being have
such an opportunity. The second verse begins to explain what is this Absolute Truth: “He from
whom everything originates is the Absolute.” Thus, as it refers to “He”, the source of all that exists,
the ultimate point of creation is a person. Lord Krishna Himself is the one undivided Absolute
Truth and ultimate reality. He manifests in three features, namely the Brahman (all-pervading
spiritual energy), Paramatma (Supersoul in all beings) and Bhagavan (the Supreme Personality);
Sri Krishna is the Supreme Divinity as the Paramount Eternal Reality among all other sentient
beings and the Fountain-source of consciousness to all conscious beings. He is the only reality
without a second but as a Supersoul dwelling in the cave of the hearts of all beings.

Physicists explain thow water flows down a mountain in a path of least resistance. 5ooo years ago,
such a direct path was given to the human kind in Vrndarvan, India by the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Sri Krishna. Krishna is a name of the original, unique Supreme Person, the source of all
that exists. God has many names, and each describes a different aspect of His personality- creator,
maintainer of the universe, and Lover of all. The name Krishna—"the all-attractive one"—
indicates the unequaled charm and beauty of the Supreme Person, as He appears to His most dear
devotees. Krishna appears as other forms of God—avatars—to create and maintain the universe,
while He simultaneously enjoys loving relationships with His countless associates in the spiritual
world. He visits this material world from time to time to free His devotees from material existence
and establish Bhakti Yoga or Krishna Consciousness.

Krishna is the source of all other incarnations and forms of God. He is the ultimate and end of all
Truth and philosophical enquiry, the goal or end result of Vedanta. He is the all-attractive
personality and source of all pleasure for which we are always hankering. He is the origin from
which everything else manifests. He is the unlimited source of all power, wealth, fame, beauty,
wisdom, and renunciation. Thus, no one is greater than Him. Since Krishna is the source of all
living beings, He is also considered the Supreme Father and source of all worlds. He is shown with a
blue or blackish complexion. This represents absolute, pure consciousness, which also is
unconditional love. Krishna is the embodiment of love. He is also sat-chit-ananda vigraha, which
means the form of eternal knowledge and bliss, for which we are all seeking. If we are expected to
understand God, then who better to explain His qualities and characteristics than Himself? So in
the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna provides the Self-revelatory truth about His position in His
explanations to Arjuna. There are numerous verses in this regard, of which the following are but a
few: “And when you have thus learned the truth, you will know that all living beings are but part of
Me--and that they are in Me, and are Mine. (4.35) The sages, knowing Me to be the ultimate
purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the
benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.
(5.29) Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both
its origin and dissolution.” (7.6) “I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything
emanates from Me.

The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their
hearts.” (Bg.10:8) In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Lord Krishna specifically explains that before,
during, and after the creation, there is always Himself that exists. “Brahma it is I, the Personality of
Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there
the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of
Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Supreme Lord.” (Bhag.2.9.33) The

Brahma-samhita (5.40) explains how the Brahman is but Sri Krishna’s physical brilliance: “I
worship Govinda, the primeval Lord who is endowed with great power. The glowing effulgence of
His transcendental form is the impersonal Brahman, which is absolute, complete and unlimited,
and which displays the varieties of countless planets with their different opulences in millions and
millions of universes.” It is clear from the ancient Vedas that Lord Krishna’s name, form, pastimes,
etc., exist eternally in the spiritual dimension and are never affected by even a tinge of the material
energy. Thus, He can appear as often and whenever He likes as He is, or in any form He chooses
within this material manifestation. He is completely and totally spiritual for He is the Absolute
Truth. As the Vedanta Sutras explain, the Absolute Truth is He from whom all else manifests. Thus,
the Absolute Truth is the ultimate Person known as Sri Krishna. Krishna consciousness means an
awareness of and affection for the Supreme Person, Krishna. It is the culmination of all forms of
yoga, knowledge, meditation, and spirituality. Krishna consciousness is the natural, original, and
blissful condition of every individual soul. Only when we're covered by maya, illusion, do we forget
who we are and who the Supreme Person is. We want happiness, but without Krishna
consciousness, we don't know who we are or what we're supposed to do. We try to enjoy life
through the body and mind, with hit-or-miss results. And we fear death since we don't know what
happens afterwards. Einstein said energy can neither be created nor destroyed and he was right.
The soul as an inconceivable unique individual and expansion of the Supreme; it is eternal, never
was born and will never cease to be. The practices of Krishna consciousness, or bhakti-yoga, are
meant to free us from the root cause of all anxiety by reawakening our normal, eternal spiritual
happiness.

The process is simple—meditation on the name, form, activities, and qualities of Krishna. He's
known by different names in different cultures, but all genuine spiritual traditions agree that
there's only one Supreme God. The goal of bhakti-yoga is to recover our natural sense of
connectedness (yoga) with that one supreme God by serving Him with love (bhakti). Krishna
personally gave us the "Maha Mantra" and as inconceivable as it is, this mahamantra
(maha=great/man=mind/tra=to liberate ones self from) is the original sound vibration of the living
entity. Not only does it give direct perception of the "Self" (you're a soul, not a material body), it
serves 33 billion demi Gods that serve Krishna in His form as Maha Vishnu. This is also the sound
vibration of the Lord residing within your heart chakra as the "Paramatma" (Supersoul). This
mantra is like a baby wailing for his mother, as the soul longs to be liberated from the pangs of
material existence.

Bhakti Yoga is an incredibly personal experience because when we once rejected God with our
desire to enjoy separately from Him- we abandoned our constitutional position as loving, eternal
associates in the spiritual world where we have always originated. We were able to reject the
supreme beloved as pure love is always unconditional. In our so-called independent state as
separate individuals seeking our own realities in the multiverse we have incarnated into many
different forms since time immemorial and thus we forget lifetime after lifetime the different
energies that make up creation. According to the Srimad Bhagavatam, Krishna has very distinct
energies, which are everywhere. Although innumerable, His energies fall into three primary
categories:

Internal Energy
Krishna's internal energy expands as the spiritual world in all its variety, including His ever-liberated associates there. The internal
energy is eternal and full of knowledge and happiness. Presently beyond our perception, the spiritual world makes up most of reality.

External Energy
Krishna's external energy consists of all that is matter: the material world, the laws of material nature, material bodies, and so on. The
external energy is temporary and full of ignorance and suffering. It is inert by nature and must be moved by spirit. The material world is
a tiny fraction of God's creation.

Marginal Energy
We finite spirit souls are expansions of Krishna's marginal energy. We can choose to live in the spiritual world or the material world. Or,
to put it another way, we can be deluded by matter or illuminated by spirit.

Both the external energy (matter) and the marginal energy (we souls) can become fully spiritualized
by contact with the internal energy through acts of devotion to Krishna (Bhakti-yoga).
As we perpetually move around within the material universe giving up one form for another- in the
higher realms and lower realms being directed by the three modes of nature- trying to find our
eternal pleasure, some of us with great fortune take birth on a star system where Krishna has
performed a past time. Bhakti Yoga is very confidential because Krishna is essentially offering to
His beloved jiva soul eternality, unending bliss, and all knowledge. When Krishna appeared in
India 5ooo years ago, it was understood that the Gopis- were the topmost loving associates of
Krishna because in a selfless mood they had no ulterior motive- they simply wanted to love Him.
And curiously, this is why God appears on earth-like planets to attract the humankind to return to
the natural state in Krishna Consciousness. Sometimes, Krishna would appear to them and more
often than not He would disappear into the forests of Vrndarvan and the Gopis would feel
enormous anxiety. Krishna, being situated within their hearts as the Paramatma, was tasting their
love for Him
 The creation of the Multiverse and the material energy
It is said in the ancient Srimad Bhagavatam that "God" has always existed and His beloved,
innumerable, inconceivable expansions called jiva souls who are expressions of His divine love (we
are qualitatively one but quantitatively different from Krishna), have as well. In the spiritual
world, the jiva soul has no idea Krishna is "God" as there is no need for Krishna to be omnipotent
in this realm; love and ecstasy is always manifesting in eternity; you were created just like a parent
creates a child- to love and be loved. Love in its purest sense should always be unconditional and
often times there is a chance of rejection. Some souls wanted to know how their beloved Krishna is
the epicenter of "reality", some wanted to become their own "Gods" and some even wanted to
experience a reality separate from Him (this is the original meaning of free-will). Without this
choice, there is no question of loving God, since love is necessarily an act of free will. These souls,
misusing their independence, desire to enjoy life without Krishna. Begrudgingly, Krishna assumed
the form of Lord Vishnu to "dream" the material subatomic energy into "existence". Since all
energy comes from the Supreme, the illusion of separateness (material energy) has to be dreamed
into existence! Edgar Allen poe, the famous poet once said, "Is all that we see or seem but a dream
within a dream?" And it is fascinating to note that it is only in the material energy that Krishna is
omnipotent; as the soul leaves the spiritual world to find enjoyment as a separate individual,
Krishna accompanies them as their eternal companion called the "paramatma" or super soul. As
they search endlessly for material pleasure, souls inherit different levels of awareness due to various
activities (karma) and they take on many different types of forms within the material creation; it is
to fulfill—as well as to reform—this unnatural desire that Lord Krsna creates the material world.
Walled within the shells of material universes, the independently-minded jivas are awarded bodies
in any of the trillions of species and are allowed to forget their eternal life of bliss and knowledge.
And curiously, the reason why we suffer in the material energy is because we know of a greater
pleasure beyond our limited senses but the gross and subtle energies encase the soul into the illusion
of a material form.

According to Bhagavad-gita, a soul is situated in each living body just as a driver is situated in an
automobile. The driver is different from his car, although he directs its movements. Similarly, the
jiva soul, although doggedly trying to enjoy a body made of the material elements, is separate from
it. Each kind of body—from the microbe to the human being—affords the soul a particular kind of
sense enjoyment, a different means for trying to satisfy his godless longings. Evolution, for
example, was understood thousands of years ago to mean that the paramatma within all species is
constantly making the souls within them happy and so many living entities desire so many
unlimited things; when creatures desire, Krishna manifests it. Of all the billions and billions of life
forms within the universe, it is understood that the human form of life is the most highly desired as
it is in this form you can regain your eternal identity. There are infinite number of entities living in
different dimensions within every universe and Krishna only appears on earth like planets- love
versus fear -as this is frequency specific to bring forth the presence of an avatar of the Supreme.
Krishna doesn't appear in the higher realms as inter-dimensional beings (Demigods) are too
centered on enjoying His opulent energy and some are trying to lord it over the material creation
and He doesn't go to the lower worlds below earth because there is too much suffering for souls
there to contemplate divinity. According to this ancient text, the trillions of universes that exist
comprise 1/4 of Krishnas energy. The other 3/4s constitute the spiritual world made of Sat-Chit-
Ananda (eternity/bliss/knowledge). Within each manifested universe a "Brahma" engineers and
manages each universe and hence not one universe is the same. He is the first created entity within
the universe.

The Supreme Person Krishna, in His role as Vishnu, creates the material world. He then empowers
a Brahma to act as the engineer and manager within each universe. Of all the demigods in charge of
generating various species of life and managing universal affairs, Brahma is the chief. Brahma is
also the original spiritual mentor of everyone within the universe. Krishna entrusts him with the
sum total of all knowledge—the Vedas—by which everyone can attain success in life and ultimately
return to the spiritual world. Brahma, in turn, sees to it that Vedic knowledge is spread everywhere
by his representatives. This mission is known as the Brahma-sampradaya, or school of theistic
thought originating from Brahma. The material world is a fraction of the whole creation. As far as
you can see in the sky, you see this universe. But this is only one universe.

There are unlimited universes clustered together, and that cluster is called the material world. Beyond that
cluster is the spiritual sky. That fact is also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita: paras tasmat tu bhavo ‘nyo
‘vyakto ‘vyaktat sanatanah. The Lord says, “Beyond this material world is another nature, which is eternal.”
There is no history of its beginning or end. That is eternal: no beginning, no end. Vedic knowledge is the
perfection of yoga and it is called sanatana-dharma, “eternal knowing,” because no one can trace out when
the Vedic philosophy began. When looking at these massive maps of the multidimensional universe,
consider the laws of quantum science: energy precedes matter. “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I
regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we
talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness," said Max Planck, the originator
of Quantum theory.

The elaborate Vedic description of creation can make even an atheist curious. The universe around
us appears to be orderly and symmetrical. The planets rotate perfectly in their orbits. Our bodies
possess complex circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems. Even the atoms are highly
structured. All this suggests that the universe was created not by chance, but by an intelligent
person. If human beings can create houses, skyscrapers, and many other structures, it is plausible
that a person far more powerful than any human created the universe and everything in it.

But although the design evident in every corner of the visible world strongly indicates the plan of an
intelligent creator (God), by logic alone we cannot be absolutely certain that He exists. The origin of
the cosmos is beyond our experience. We did not observe the creation of the universe, and for all we
know it could have happened in any number of ways that we have not considered or are unable to
consider. On the platform of logic, therefore, the debate over whether or not there is a Supreme
Being, a Creator, must always end in stalemate.

The Vedic literature confirms that we cannot conclusively understand the Supreme Being by logic
alone. The Bhagavad-gita declares that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, who is the
creator of both this universe and the spiritual world beyond it, can be understood only by His
mercy, when He is pleased to reveal Himself to His faithful devotees. Although our logic and mental
gymnastics cannot rise to embrace the Lord, He can by His omnipotence pierce through the
uncertainty and ignorance of His faithful servants and show Himself to them.

While confirming the fallibility of human reasoning, however, the Vedas do not recommend that we
abandon reason. If we lack a deep philosophical understanding of God, our faith in Him tends
toward sentiment and fanaticism and easily falls prey to atheistic arguments. The Vedic literature
therefore includes all manner of logical arguments—including the argument from design—
indicating that the universe is the work of a supremely powerful person. But the Vedic literature
goes further as well, describing in detail the stages of creation, the age and dimensions of the
universe, the purpose of the creation, and the origin of the material elements. The Vedic literature,
in other words, not only proclaims “God created” but also tells us how and why He created.

To begin with, the Vedic literature asserts that the Supreme Lord is not obliged to participate
directly in the creative work. While theists sometimes conceive of God as an extremely hardworking
old man, who has little time off from His duties as creator, the Vedic literature explains that God
creates by His desire alone, without having to exert Himself in the least. Since He possesses
unlimited power and wealth, He can, like any wealthy person, get others to do the work for Him. If
a wealthy financier wants to construct an office building, he doesn’t do everything himself. He
conceives a general plan or chooses a building site, then hires lawyers, architects, engineers,
contractors, and so on to execute His will. The financier doesn’t have to dig the foundation, pour the
cement, or lay the bricks.

Like the wealthy financier, the Supreme Lord is aloof from the work of creation, but just how He
delegates the creative duties, and to whom, is unique. Unlike ordinary persons, Krishna can expand
Himself into innumerable forms, known as plenary expansions, who are equal to Him in power and
opulence. These expansions are all the same Personality of Godhead, Krishna Himself, and yet at
the same time They are individuals with independent thoughts and actions. Brahma-samhita gives
the analogy that just as one candle can light many other candles, each with the same power to
illuminate, so Krishna, the original Personality of Godhead, can expand Himself into innumerable
plenary forms and still maintain His identity as the supreme, original person.

A person’s appearance on millions of television screens at once partially illustrates Krishna’s power
to expand, the difference being that the television expansions are only images of the original person
and must move and speak as that person does, whereas Krishna’s expansions, although non-
different from Him, can act as They please. They are not mere images, but complete individuals.

While the wealthy financier must employ others to fulfill his desires, Krishna creates the universe
through these individual expansions of His own self. Further elucidating this transcendental
phenomenon, the Svetashvatara Upanishad explains that to achieve our goals, we rely on three
attributes, knowledge (jnana), strength (bala), and activity (kriya). To construct a large building,
for example, the architects and engineers need sufficient knowledge of the building sciences, the
construction company must have sufficient strength in the form of manpower and machines, and
everyone has to engage in various activities. The Supreme Lord, however, possesses within Himself

all knowledge, all strength, and all potential to act and can therefore accomplish anything He
wants. By investing these powers in His various expansions. Krishna effortlessly executes the
business of creation. The financier works through his money, while Krishna works through His
personal expansions and energies.

Krishna’s ability to expand Himself is inconceivable—beyond the range of ordinary logic. But it is
inconceivable only in that we human beings cannot do it and have not seen anyone else do it.
Otherwise, accepting that God is all-powerful, nothing He does is inconceivable. Rather, His
apparently inconceivable attributes serve as testimony to His omnipotence. Therefore the Vedic
literature, by describing Krishna’s attributes in detail, does not preclude a logical approach to
understanding the Supreme Lord, but rather draws our use of logic onto a higher, transcendental
platform.

Krishna’s first expansion for the creation is Maha- Vishnu, who begins by manifesting the material
elements from His transcendental body. Modern scientists will object to the mention of a creator.
The material energy is eternal, they say, so why bring in God? But the Vedic literatures respond
that Maha-Vishnu is also eternal and that the material elements are His eternal energy. God and
His energy are like the sun and the sunshine, which exist simultaneously, although one is the origin
of the other. Both God and the material energy are eternal, and yet God is the source of the
material energy.

We might also wonder how Maha-Vishnu could perform the gigantic act of creating all the material
elements without becoming totally depleted, dispersing Himself into the elemental creation.
Materially speaking, when we take something from a particular source, we gradually exhaust that
source. Withdraw money from your bank account, and the balance goes down. Pour water from a
glass, and the glass empties. Take milk from a cow, and the cow gradually dries up—unless she can
replenish her supply from a pasture or feed bin. Since God is by definition the source of everything,
there is nothing outside of Him to replenish Him. So what happens to Maha-Vishnu when He
creates the material elements from Himself?

The Ishopanishad says that nothing happens to Him at all. Maha-Vishnu is unaffected and
unchanged, even while supplying an unlimited quantity of elements. How could this be? Because
depletion and exhaustion are properties of matter. Maha-Vishnu, however, is not matter, but pure
spirit, and therefore He has no material properties. He produces the complete cosmic manifestation
from His own form, yet remains perfect and complete.

As Krishna expands into Maha-Vishnu without changing His form or identity, so Maha-Vishnu
creates the material elements, yet remains complete in Himself.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam informs us that from the material elements Maha-Vishnu produces not
one, but innumerable universes, or, rather, universal shells. These gigantic shells are hollow spheres.
The lower half is filled with water, and the upper half is—at least initially— empty. The
Bhagavatam also states that our particular universe is the smallest of all the universes, and yet the
space inside the shell measures four billion miles in diameter, while the shell itself is billions of miles
thick.

Maha-Vishnu expands His personality and enters each universe as Garbhodakasayi Vishnu.
Garbhodakasayi Vishnu then generates Brahma, the first living entity in the universe.

Although Lord Brahma is an eternal, individual person, he is not a plenary expansion of the Lord.
He, like you and me, is a jiva-tattva expansion, in quality equal with Krishna but quantitatively
minute. The jiva-tattva expansions are part and parcel of Krishna, and as such their eternal,
blissful function is to render loving service to Him.

In fact, they have no other function, just as a finger has no other function than to render service to
the entire body. When the jiva souls are separated from the eternal service of Lord Krishna, they
lose their eternal blissful nature, just as a finger loses its very life when severed from the body.

Before coming to the material creation, the jiva souls live in the eternal spiritual world, which lies
beyond the material universes. There they act in their relationships as servants, friends, and
associates of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. Since these relationships with Krishna
are based solely on love, however, the jiva souls have a minute degree of independence: they can
choose to remain subordinate to the all-powerful Supreme Person, or they can desire to neglect His
service and become independent lords themselves. Without this choice, this freedom to serve or not
to serve, there is no question of loving God, since love is necessarily an act of free will. A minority of
jiva souls, misusing their independence, desire to enjoy life without Krishna.
It is to fulfill—as well as to reform—this unnatural desire of a relatively small number of jivas that
Lord Krishna creates the material world. Walled within the shells of material universes, the
independently-minded jivas are awarded bodies in any of the millions of species and are allowed to
forget their eternal life of bliss and knowledge with Krishna. According to Bhagavad-gita, a jiva
soul is situated in each living body just as a driver is situated in an automobile. The driver is
different from his car, although he directs its movements. Similarly, the jiva soul, although doggedly
trying to enjoy a body made of the material elements, is separate from it. Each kind of body—from
the microbe to the human being—affords the jiva a particular kind of sense enjoyment, a different
means for trying to satisfy his godless longings.

Within each of the innumerable universes, Garbhodakasayi Vishnu expands as Kshirodakashayi

Vishnu, who then expands Himself unlimitedly to enter the hearts of all the living entities in His
particular universe. This expansion of Krishna is known as Paramatma, the Supersoul, who
accompanies each jiva soul in his search for material pleasure. In the Gita, Lord Krishna says that,
as the Supersoul. He directs the jivas’ search by supplying them with memory, knowledge, and
forgetfulness. Al death, the jiva soul is taken from his present body and prepared for his next birth
in one of the infinite number of species. All this is arranged by the Lord in the heart. The human
body is just suitable for austerity, self- realization, and rewakening Krishna consciousness, but if a
human being acts and desires like an animal, he is allowed, in his next life, to enjoy in the body of
an animal.

In marked contrast to the jiva soul, the Supersoul, although situated within the material body, is
never controlled by a desire to enjoy matter. Krishna and His expansions are the controllers of the
material energy, whereas the jiva, as long as he desires to forget Krishna, is controlled by the same
energy. In the Upanishads the jiva soul and the Supersoul are compared to two birds sitting in the
same tree of the body. One Bird (the jiva) tries to enjoy the fruits on the tree—material pleasures—
forgetting the other bird (the Supersoul), who is patiently watching. The Supersoul observes and
directs the jiva’s activities, unaffected by material desire. Only the jiva souls assume material
bodies and try to enjoy matter.

We all have experienced, however, that this material world is not a place of unadulterated
enjoyment. In fact, it is sometimes argued that even if there is a God. He could not he good or just.
since His creation is filled with disease, old age, death, and many other miseries. Krishna, however,
creates the material world not just for our independent sense enjoyment, but also to remind us that
enjoyment outside of His service is illusory. When a man goes mad, forgetting his friends, relatives,
and his own self, whatever enjoyment he experiences in that maddened state is worthless. In the
same way, the jiva souls have forgotten their eternal relationship with their dearmost friend,
Krishna. Until they reestablish that relationship, they will be able to realize but a small fraction of
their potential for happiness, even if they acquire wealth, fame, beauty, education, and other
temporary material advantages. The material desires are designed to remind the jiva that the
material creation is foreign to him, and thus they evince God’s concern for our true welfare. The
jiva who comes to his senses and practices Krishna consciousness can very quickly return to the
spiritual world.

Lord Brahma, the first jiva soul in each universe, is in charge of constructing all the planets and
planetary systems. He is also in charge of creating the innumerable species of life, including
aquatics, insects, plants, birds, animals, and human beings. Inspired and empowered by
Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, Brahma assembles the creation using the material elements. Starting
from just above the waters of the ocean that fills halt the universe and extending up to his own
planet in the topmost reaches of the dome of universal space, Brahma constructs fourteen planetary
systems, one above the other. The earth planet is in the seventh of those fourteen planetary systems.

Brahma doesn’t create his own materials—the elements—and even in manipulating them he is
dependent on Lord Vishnu for guidance and inspiration. Nor does Brahma create the life which
animates each body, for life is not the result of a combination of the material elements. Brahma only
assists in creating the bodily vehicles, while the life, the eternal jiva souls, is supplied by the
Supreme Lord.

Of the many differences between this short description of Brahma’s creation and currently popular
scientific descriptions, two are especially important. The first is that the Vedic literature portrays
the original creature in each universe as highly intelligent, more so than even the greatest modern
scientist. Brahma’s intelligence, and his resultant creative accomplishments, are surpassed only by
Lord Vishnu Himself. Modern scientists, on the other hand, assert that the original creature in the
universe was a microbe, and that the forefathers of modern man were apes and cave- dwellers.

The second contrast is that the Vedic literature asserts that all species were produced more or less
simultaneously at the beginning of the creation, while popular evolutionary theory holds that the
species have gradually evolved. According to the evolutionists, aquatics evolved into land animals
and land animals evolved—only a relatively short time ago—into human beings.

Evolutionists acknowledge, however, that one of the many flaws in their theories is that there is still
—more than a century after Darwin’s debut—no fossil record showing one species evolving from
another. For dedicated Darwinists this lack of evidence is only an impetus to revamp their theories.
But for the dedicated devotee of Krishna it is a confirmation of the Vedic version that all species of
life, including the civilized human beings, have existed since the dawn of creation.

In this connection it is also interesting to note the Vedic calculations of the age of the universe. The
Vedic literature states that Lord Brahma lives for one breath of Maha-Vishnu. When Maha-Vishnu
exhales, the material elements and universes emanate from Him, and when He inhales, the
universes are destroyed and merge back into His body. Thus the universes and their respective
Brahmas are created and destroyed with every breath of Maha-Vishnu. The entire cycle—one
breath of Maha-Vishnu, or one lifetime of Brahma—takes 310 trillion solar years.

According to Srimad-Bhagavatam, Brahma’s life is half over at present, which means that this
universe has existed, along with all the species, for 155 trillion years. In the Bhagavatam, the
context-sensitive approach was rendered particularly appropriate by the conviction that reality, in
the ultimate issue, is avak-manasam, or beyond the reach of the mundane mind or words. This
implies that a literal, one-to-one model of reality is unattainable, and so one may as well pack as
much meaning as possible into a necessarily incomplete description of the universe. The cosmology
of the Bhagavata Purana is a sophisticated system of thought, with multiple layers of meaning, both
physical and metaphysical. It combines practical understanding of astronomy with spiritual
conceptions to produce a meaningful picture of the universe and reality.
 The Supreme Consciousness (Om-Tat-Sat) is both personal & impersonal

When it comes to understanding God, many people do not quite understand what is God. Often we
find a pervasive view that God is impersonal, like an indescribable force of which we are all a part.
Or that everything is God, or that we are all God, or that God is love, or God is the Absolute Truth,
and so on. However, we need to understand that these are simply small aspects of what is God. The
Vedic literature gives detailed information on each of these aspects, no matter whether it is the
impersonal aspect of God, called the Brahman, or the very personal nature of the Supreme, called
Bhagavan. So let's find out what this information is and how it is developed in the Vedic system.

When it comes to Vedanta, many commentaries on it revolve around the topic of the Brahman. The
Brahman generally means the all-pervading, self-existent power. The concept of the Brahman was,
for the most part, first developed in the Upanishads. There we begin to find descriptions from which
our understanding of it grows. It is invisible, ungraspable, eternal, without qualities, and the
imperishable source of all things. (Mundaka Upanishad 1.1.6-7)

It is explained that Shankara's advaita doctrine was based on the famous passage in the Chandogya
Upanishad (6.10.3), tat tvam asi, meaning "That thou art." He taught that "thou and that" were not
to be regarded as object and subject, but as identical, without difference (a-bheda), like the real self
(atman). Thus, anything that was variable, like the body, mind, intellect, and ego are objects of
knowledge, are changeable, and not the atman.

These concepts were more fully explained on the basis of the Vedanta-sutras. The Vedanta-sutras are
a systemization of sutras or codes for understanding Vedic knowledge. As you know, they are short
codes that are later to be explained by the spiritual master, guru, or spiritual authority. By
themselves, without further explanations, it is not easy to fathom their depths. So it is from these
commentaries that contain the additional information about such things as the Brahman.

Vedanta means the conclusion of the Veda or end of all knowledge. Vedanta is also known as Uttara
Mimamsa, or later examination, and is a companion to the Purva Mimamsa, or preliminary
examination. The Purva Mimamsa deals with the early portions of the Vedas and the Uttara
Mimamsa deals with the latter portions. The Vedic tradition, unlike other religions and
philosophies, is rooted in such remote antiquity that its origin cannot be fully traced. The Vedic
literature explains that it exists in the form of eternal spiritual vibrations and is present both within
and outside the universal creation.

Vedanta has been the most influential of the seven main systems of Eastern philosophy. Though the
name Vedanta is often taken to indicate the impersonalist, nondual or Mayavada school of thought,
it is essentially dualistic theism, but various commentaries have interpreted it to mean different
things. It was the Sariraka-Bhasya commentary by Shankara that established the Vedanta as a
nondualistic philosophy, meaning that the ultimate reality is but one. In this regard, the Brahman
and the Atman (individual souls) are identical, and the Brahman is the Absolute Reality from which
everything manifests and back into which everything merges. This interpretation has gained much
respect and influence, but is not the ultimate or correct viewpoint of the Vedic literature, as will be
explained.

The Vedanta-sutras are like short, condensed bits of information used as reminders for the spiritual
master in his discussions on Vedic philosophy with a student or disciple. Each line, therefore, is
meant to be elaborated upon by the spiritual master for the understanding of the student.

Vedanta means "the end of knowledge," or the final conclusion of the Vedic philosophy. The
Vedanta-sutras are also called the Brahma-sutra, Sariraka, Vyasa-sutra, Vedanta-darshana, Uttara-
mimamsa,as well as Badarayana-sutra. Vyasa and Badarayana are two names for the same person
who is considered to be the author and compiler of the major portions of Vedic literature.

The Vedanta-sutras are divided into four chapters with four divisions each. In each division the
theme within is stated, reasons for it are given, examples are supplied to uphold the presented facts,
the theme is then explained further for clearer understanding, and finally authorized quotations
from the Vedas are supplied to support it. In this way the information is given in a format meant to
show the authenticity and reliability of the Vedic viewpoint.
The first two chapters discuss how the material world manifested from the Supreme and the
relationship between the living entity and the Supreme. The third chapter explains how one engages
in the prescribed duties to perform and how to act according to the loving relationship we have
with the Supreme. The fourth chapter describes the result of such devotional service (or bhakti),
which is ultimately to attain liberation, or return to the spiritual world.

The first verse of the Vedanta-sutras states: "athato brahma-jijnasa", which means, "Now is the time
to inquire about the Absolute Truth." Why is it time? Because we are presently in the human form
of life and should utilize it properly since only in the human form do we have the intelligence and
facility to be able to understand spiritual reality. In animal forms, the living entities cannot
understand such things because they do not have the brain power. So we should not waste this
human form of life by pursuing only the animalistic propensities, such as eating, sleeping, mating,
and defending. Therefore, the Vedanta-sutras begin by stating that now is the time for us to
understand the Absolute Truth.

The Vedanta-sutras, however, being written only in codes, can be somewhat vague and requires a
commentary to elaborate and explain the aphorisms. Practically speaking, some of the codes are
fairly unclear for anyone who is not experienced in Vedic philosophy. And since Vedanta comprises
the purport of the Upanishads which contain knowledge of both the personal and impersonal
aspects of the Absolute, which commentary on the Vedanta-sutras you read can make a big
difference. Some commentaries sway toward the impersonal understanding of the Absolute, while
other commentaries sway toward the personal realizations. Obviously, to reach a mature
understanding in this regard, we need to comprehend both of these viewpoints. In fact, it is stated
that unless one understands all the features of the Absolute Truth, namely, the impersonal
Brahman, the localized Paramatma or Supersoul, and ultimately the Supreme Personality of God,
Bhagavan or Krishna, one's knowledge is imperfect.

After studying the previous portions of the Vedic literature, such as the four Vedas and the
Upanishads, only when we arrive at this Brahma-sutra of Srila Vyasadeva do we find an emphasis
on doing bhakti-yoga, or devotional activities, for realizing God. This means that God is ultimately
the Supreme Person from whom there is the imminent loving exchange that can be attained by
lovingly surrendering to Him. That devotion and emotional absorption in God is the process for
becoming free from the illusory attraction and attachments to the material world. This paves the
way for genuine liberation from worldly existence.

There have been many commentaries written on the Vedanta-sutras. The most influential were by
such famous acharyas as Shankara, Bhaskara, Ramanuja, Nimbarka, Vallabha, Madhva, and
Baladeva. So let us review a few of these to get a better view of the development of the advaita and
dvaita philosophies.

Shankara (509-477 BC, though others have said 788-820 AD) was a follower of Shiva, born of a
South Indian brahmana family in the town of Kaladi, on the banks of the Periyar river. He
established four main maths, or schools of study. These have records of their original establishment
and list all of the successive acharyas who followed from the time of Shankaracharya. And these
lists, such as the one displayed at the Kamakoti Shankara Math in Kanchipuram, date back to 477
BC, thus dating earlier than the time of Christ.
Shankaracharya's two major works are the Vivida-cudamani and Sariraka-basya. When Shankara
appeared, Buddhism and anti-Vedic thought had spread throughout India because it had been
patronized by Emperor Asoka in the third century B.C., and the followers of Buddhism had given
up the Vedas. The Buddhist philosophy establishes that the material creation is the only
manifestation of the Absolute Truth, which itself is temporary and brought on by egoistic desires. It
is asserted that these desires must be eliminated for one to enter back into the void. The void itself is
said to be all that is real and eternal, and the source from which everything manifests. Shankara's
purpose, therefore, was to reform and purify religious life by re-establishing the authority of the
Vedic scriptures. His interpretation of the Vedas is known as advaita or nondualistic because he
taught that the individual jiva or soul is identical with God, and that there is ultimately no variety,
no individuality or personality in spiritual existence. The individuality of both the Supreme Being
and the jiva, according to him, is false.

In order for Shankara to teach like this, he had to ignore the many statements in the Vedic
literature which assert that the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person and the jivas are His
subordinate parts. Therefore, by word jugglery, he developed a twofold theory that Brahman
consists of the pure impersonal Brahman, and that any incarnation of God within this universe is
simply a manifestation of that Brahman. This was a complete rejection of some of the Vedic
literature, such as Bhagavad-gita, and in this way he differed with all orthodox Vedic schools. Like
Buddha, he also refused to answer questions about the origin of the cosmos and said that maya, the
illusory energy, was inexplicable.

This Mayavadi philosophy teaches that the material world is false and the impersonal Brahman, or
great white light, is truth. One merges back into the Brahman, where there exists no activities or
spiritual characteristics, after giving up the ego or bodily consciousness. Therefore, we find that
impersonalists generally do not study the Vedas beyond the Vedanta-sutras because as we progress
through the Vedic literature up to the Puranas, it becomes more specific about the personal
characteristics of the Absolute Truth which contradicts the impersonal viewpoint.

We must point out that Shankaracarya was an incarnation of Lord Shiva who had been ordered by
the Supreme Lord to cheat the atheists. The Shiva Purana quotes the Supreme Lord as ordering
Shiva: "In Kali-yuga mislead the people in general by propounding imaginary meanings from the
Vedas to bewilder them." To do so, Shankara gave up the direct method of Vedic knowledge and
presented an indirect meaning which actually covered the real goal of Vedanta. This is confirmed in
the Padma Purana where Lord Shiva addresses his wife, Parvati:

My dear wife, hear my explanations of how I have spread ignorance through Mayavada philosophy.
Simply by hearing it even an advanced scholar will fall down. In this philosophy which is certainly
very inauspicious for people in general, I have misrepresented the real meaning of the Vedas and
recommended that one give up all activities in order to achieve freedom from karma. In this
Mayavada philosophy I have described the jivatma and Paramatma to be one and the same. The
Mayavada philosophy is impious. It is covered Buddhism. My dear Parvati, in the form of a
brahmana in Kali-yuga I teach this imagined Mayavada philosophy in order to mislead the entire
population toward atheism by denying the personal form of God.

Herein, Lord Shiva himself points out that to believe God has no form is not accurate and equal to
atheism. Even though this Mayavada philosophy was not good for pious people to hear because it
would sway them toward an impersonalistic viewpoint, we should note that Shankara's philosophy
was just right for the time and circumstance. The Buddhists, who had spread throughout India and
neglected the Vedas, believed in neither a soul nor a God and that, ultimately, the essence of
everything is the nothingness or void wherein lies nirvana, freedom from all suffering. So
considering how the Buddhists had followed a philosophy of complete atheism for hundreds of
years and would never have accepted a viewpoint which advocated a supreme personal God,
Shankara's was the only philosophy they would have considered. It was like a compromise between
atheism and theism, but Shankara used portions of Vedic knowledge as the basis of his arguments.
In this way, as Shankara traveled throughout India his arguments prevailed. Thus, Buddhism
bowed and Vedic culture was brought back to prominence. Therefore, his purpose was
accomplished, so much so that his Sariraka-bhasya is considered the definitive rendition of Vedanta
even to the present day.

Several times, however, Shankara revealed his true beliefs, that he was actually a devotee of Lord
Krishna. For example, in the first verse of his Vivida-cudamani he explains that it is Krishna
Himself who is the source of the supreme bliss and the Divine Master to whom he offers obeisance.
Furthermore, in his birthplace of Kaladi there is a temple near the samadhi tomb of his mother that
has a Deity of Lord Krishna that was installed by Shankara himself. Also, in his Gita-bhasya, the
first verse explains that Narayana (another incarnation of Lord Krishna), or Bhagavan, is
transcendental to the material creation. In The Bhagavad-gita with the Commentary of Sri
Sankaracarya, Dinkar Vishnu Gokhale establishes that Lord Shiva writes in his "Meditations on the
Bhagavad-gita": "Salutations to thee, O Vyasa [the incarnation of Krishna who compiled the
essential Vedic literature]. Thou art of mighty intellect, and thine eyes are as large as a full-blown
lotus. It was thou who brightened this lamp of wisdom, filling it with the oil of the Mahabharata."
Shankara also readily points out that it is Bhagavan Krishna "whose glories are sung by the verses
of the Vedas, of whom the singers of the Sama sing, and of whose glories the Upanishads proclaim in
full choir.” This would seem to indicate that Shankara was encouraging everyone to read
Bhagavad-gita and Mahabharata as written by Srila Vyasadeva to understand the conclusion of
spiritual knowledge. This would also give evidence that Shankara's own personal beliefs were
different from the philosophy that he taught. There is no evidence that makes this more clear than
texts eight and nine of his Meditations on the Bhagavad-gita as follows:

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, the
transcendental, blissful husband of the Goddess of Fortune, whose mercy turns the dumb into
eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains. Let all obeisances be unto the Supreme
Lord Sri Krishna, whom Brahma, Varuna, Indra, Rudra, the Maruts, and all divine beings praise
with the divine hymns of the Vedas and their supplementary parts, such as the Upanishads, whom
the followers of the Sama- veda glorify with song, whom great mystics see with their minds
absorbed in perfect meditation and of whom all the hosts of demigods and demons know not the
limitations. To Him, the Supreme Lord, let there be all obeisances.

Near the end of his life, Shankara wrote his Bhaja Govindam prayers. Verses 1 and 34, which are
the conclusive verses in these prayers, are often overlooked by his followers. Yet they were written
especially for those who might miss the actual purport of the Vedas. He wrote, "Worship Govinda
[another name of Krishna], worship Govinda, worship Govinda, you intellectual fools. At the end of
your life all your grammatical arguments will not help you." And again in verse 34 he writes:
"Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, Oh fool. Other than chanting the Lord's
names, there is no other way to cross the material ocean [of birth and death]."

In this way, even Shankaracharya emphasized that it is Krishna who is the Supreme form of God,
and that the supreme form of God-realization is through the process of worshiping Him and
chanting Krishna's holy names, which is the sure way of liberation from material existence.
Ramanuja (A.D. 1017-1137) did not accept Shankara's Mayavada interpretation of the Vedanta-
sutras and sought to expose Shankara's contradictory arguments which were actually in defiance of
the real Vedic conclusions. The three major commentaries for which Ramanuja is most known is his
Vedanta-sangraha, which is on the Vedas; Sri- bhasya, on the Vedanta-sutras; and Bhagavad-gita-
bhasya, which is on Bhagavad- gita. His prominent theme is his opposition to impersonal monism,
especially of Shankara, and the support of Vaishnavism, worship of the one God Vishnu or
Bhagavan Sri Krishna.

Ramanuja's interpretation of Vedanta, as related in his Sri Bhasya commentary, establishes that
God is one and the soul is a part of God, but that it remains individual in nature even after
liberation from the body, rather than merging into the Absolute. This is called vishishthadvaita. He
also explains that the process for liberation includes surrendering to the personal form of God.

Ramanuja accepted that the Supreme and the individual living entities are one in spiritual quality,
but the individual souls are very small and God is unlimited, and between them is a relationship
based on bhakti, or spiritual love. By logical reasoning, he taught that just as the jiva controls his
own body and uses it as an instrument, God controls the whole material creation as well as the jiva
souls within. The soul is eternal and after being liberated from material entanglement lives in an
eternal spiritual body. The soul is the eternal servant of God, in which case the soul becomes fully
happy after meeting and engaging in service to God.

Madhvacharya (A.D. 1239-1319) was another prominent philosopher with his own school of
thought. He was also a Vaishnava who worked to combat Shankara's impersonal philosophy.
Madhava accepted the renounced order of sannyasa when he

was only eleven years old. He studied the Vedanta and after traveling to the Himalayas, he met
Vyasadeva who taught him to teach the glories of bhakti. Thereafter, he traveled around the country
and established the importance of bhakti through his talent of debating with the use of scriptural
evidence.

Madhva's interpretation of Vedanta, as found in his Tatparya Nirnayas, also presents Vedanta
philosophy as dualistic (dvaita), similar to Ramanuja's but more developed. Madhva taught pure
dualism and that there are three energies: the spiritual, marginal, and inferior. The Lord is of the
superior spiritual energy and controller of all other energies. The living entities are the marginal
energy since they can be engrossed spiritually or materially. And the material energy is inferior due
to its temporary nature. The Lord and the living entities are eternal and always distinct, but the
Lord is always completely transcendental to the material world. The Lord is the ultimate cause of
the creation, maintenance, and annihilation of the material manifestation, thereby being completely
independent while the living entities are completely dependent on the Lord. They remain bound up
in material energy by the result of their own karma or activities based on their fruitive desires. But
Madhva pointed out that through bhakti, devotion to God, they could eliminate their karma and
return to their position in the spiritual world.

Nimbarka also delivered a commentary called Vedanta Parijata Saurabh based on the dualistic idea.
He was born in south India, somewhere near the Godavari River, but it is not known exactly when.
The tradition is that he was initiated by Narada Muni. In His commentary he establishes that God
is one with but separate from each soul. This is called the dvaitadvaitvad philosophy. This means
that God and the individual souls are spiritual in quality, yet God is infinite, and the living entities
are infinitesimal. Nimbarka also explained that Radha-Krishna are the ultimate form of God.
Vallabhacharya (1478-1530) also wrote a commentary on the Vedanta-sutras, called the Anu
Bhashya. He also wrote on the Bhagavatam, along with a few other books, which emphasized that
the Bhagavatam is the essence of all spiritual and devotional knowledge. He established that
Krishna was the supreme form of God, and that the soul is not merely a part of God's energy, but is
qualitatively the same as God, but small in potency. Furthermore, Krishna gives a person
everything for spiritual development when one surrenders with love to Him.

Vallabhacharya was born in Raipur. By the time he was eleven years old he went to Kashi and
became well educated in the knowledge of the Vedic scripture. After staying for a time in
Vrindavana, he traveled to the major holy places of India and spread the understanding of devotion
to Lord Krishna. After he returned to Vrindavana he started the temple of Sri Nathji at
Govardhan. He established a structured form of Deity worship centered around the Deity of Lord
Krishna. When he was 28, he was married and had two sons, Gopinatha and Vitthalnath. Vitthal
became known as Goswamiji and started six more temples, of which four are in the area of
Vrindavana, two in Kamban and one in Gokul. Kashi was the home to Vallabhacharya the last
years of his life, and it is said that in front of hundreds of people he ascended up into the spiritual
abode.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (A.D. 1486-1534) also strongly opposed Shankara's philosophy and
established the principle of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva. This specified that the Supreme and the
individual soul are inconceivably and simultaneously one and different. This means that the
Supreme and the jiva souls are the same in quality, being eternally spiritual, but always separate
individually. The jivasare small and subject to being influenced by the material energy, while the
Supreme is infinite and always above and beyond the material manifestation.

Sri Caitanya taught that the direct meaning of the Vedic shastras is that the living entities are to
engage in devotional service, bhakti, to the Supreme, Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Through this practice
there can develop a level of communication between God and the individual by which God will
lovingly reveal Himself to those who become qualified. In this understanding the theistic philosophy
of Vaishnavism reached its climax.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is considered and was established by Vedic scripture as the most
recent incarnation of God, did not become much involved in writing. In fact, He only wrote eight
verses called the Shikshastaka, but His followers compiled extensive Sanskrit literature that
documented His life and fully explained His teachings. However, it is one of His followers, Baladeva,
who wrote a commentary on the Vedanta- sutras called Govinda-bhasya.

Baladeva Vidyabushana also wrote a very important commentary on the Vedanta and also
established the individual nature of the soul in his Sri Bhasya commentary. It is said that Baladeva
had a dream one night in which Lord Krishna appeared and explained the Vedanta-sutras to him.
Upon awakening, he wrote this powerful commentary and called it Govinda-bhasya, signifying that
it was the words of Sri Krishna Himself.

There is one more commentary on the Vedanta-sutras which we cannot neglect. Srila Vyasadeva, the
original author of the Vedanta-sutras, was still not satisfied after writing it. After explaining this
perplexing situation to his spiritual master, Narada Muni, he was advised to write the Srimad-
Bhagavatam (also called the Bhagavat Purana). After doing so, Vyasadeva considered it his own
commentary on the Vedanta-sutras and the complete explanation and conclusion of all Vedic
philosophy. This is why Sri Caitanya never cared for writing a commentary on the Vedanta-sutras,
because He considered Srimad-Bhagavatam to be the topmost commentary which had already been
written. As explained herein, the Supreme and the infinitesimal living entities are all individual;
otherwise, if they all merged into oneness, there could not be loving relationships between them.
Yet, we find that in all religious and theistic philosophies around the world there are two schools of
thought. One holds the idea that God is a personal being to whom we can pray, on whom we can
meditate, and from whom we can expect some reciprocal exchange. The impersonalistic school
advocates that God is an impersonal force, a void, or a great white light from which everything has
emanated and back into which everything merges.

Many people, not having a clear understanding of what God is, are left with nothing more than
their imagination to help them figure out what God must be. With such a lack of spiritual
knowledge and realization, one generally comes to the conclusion that either there is no God, or
God may be present everywhere but is seen nowhere and must, therefore, be impersonal. In that
case, we would accept Him to be nothing more than a great force or all-pervading energy within
this universe. If our understanding is more fundamental, we may simply say that God is love. Or we
may refer to God as the unfathomable, ever-new joy, the one-ness, the Supreme Eternal, highest
bliss, the all- pervading, the Brahman, the Self, and so on. These are all obscure names touching
only the outer edges of understanding God and do not reach the depth of God's real form or
personality as described in the Vedic literature.

Any scripture or philosophy that has no distinct description of the form of God has the potential for
leaving its students or followers with no alternative than to accept the possibility that God is
impersonal and has no specific form. This only means that they do not know what God is. This is
the danger of incomplete knowledge. Therefore, rather than to speculate, we need to use the Vedic
texts to increase our understanding of what is actually God.

GOD IS PERSONAL AND IMPERSONAL

The Vedic literature points out that God is both personal and impersonal. God's impersonal aspect
is called different names by different people. Generally, the impersonal aspect is known as the
Brahman effulgence or brahmajyoti. A description of the Brahman can be found in various portions
of the Vedic literature, including the Mundaka Upanishad (2.2.10-12) where it says: "In the spiritual
realm, beyond the material covering, is the unlimited Brahman effulgence, which is free from
material contamination. That effulgent white light is understood by transcendentalists to be the
light of all lights. In that realm there is no need of sunshine, moonshine, fire or electricity for
illumination. Indeed, whatever illumination appears in the material world is only a reflection of that
supreme illumination. That Brahman is in front and in back, in the north, south, east and west, and
also overhead and below. In other words, that supreme Brahman effulgence spreads throughout
both the material and spiritual skies." To realize or attain entrance into the impersonal Brahman,
one must practice yoga for many years without falling down from such strict practice. One must be
celibate, chant the om mantra correctly, raise the life airs within the body to the top of the head, and
leave the body while meditating on the Brahman. If one cannot void his mind of all sensual
engagement and concentrate on the Brahman for hours at a time without agitation, one will not be
successful. If one is successful, one can be liberated from material existence by merging into the
Brahman, where there is eternity and knowledge. However, there is no real ananda or bliss there.
The only pleasure in the brahmajyoti is the freedom from all material suffering. Some yogis think
such pleasure, which may be felt on elementary levels of meditation, is a sign of reaching the final
goal. But real ananda is found only in spiritual engagement. Without understanding this, one's
spiritual knowledge is incomplete.
The goal of the impersonalists is to merge into the Brahman effulgence, where they lose all of their
individual characteristics. If they succeed, they remain there as an inactive spiritual spark, floating
in the rays of the brahmajyoti. They do not develop a spiritual body that would give them the
opportunity to engage in various spiritual activities because they do not know about such
engagement that can be found on the spiritual Vaikuntha planets that exist within the Brahman
effulgence. So, if they again have any yearning for engaging in activities, they cannot go upward to
the spiritual planets because they are not qualified to do so. Thus, they are forced to seek shelter in
the material world, where they start over again.

The problem is that it is our natural inclination to be active, always doing something. So if the soul
is so active while within the material body, how can the impersonalist philosophers suggest that
once we are liberated we will be completely inactive? This is not very logical. The Vedic literature
states that once one has attained liberation and reaches the brahmajyoti, he will not stay there, but
at some point he will again desire to return to the material world for engagement. Therefore, the
brahmajyoti is not considered the highest form of spiritual liberation, although some so-called sages
today speak of it as if it is.

Such impersonalist yogis or philosophers either do not know or simply reject the fact that beyond
nirvana and the outskirts of the Brahman effulgence are the Vaikuntha planets of the spiritual sky.
Thus, due to their ignorance, or even rebelliousness against God, they concentrate only on the
impersonal Brahman. One can enter that region by the difficult, mechanical yoga process for
controlling the mind, but cannot go any higher. Just as a person cannot escape the material world if
he still has material desires, he cannot enter the spiritual planets if he is still absorbed in thinking of
the void. In this way, such people are unable to enter into the spiritual life of complete eternity,
knowledge, and bliss. Therefore, the idea of achieving spiritual liberation by merging into the
Brahman effulgence is considered the process of a cheating religion. Why it is considered this is that
it destroys the opportunity for people to reestablish their loving relationship with the Supreme. This
is confirmed in the Caitanya-caritamrita (Adi. 1.92): "The foremost process of cheating is to desire to
achieve liberation by merging in the Supreme, for this causes the permanent disappearance of
loving service to Krishna." Therefore, those who have reached mature spiritual realization look
upon merging into the Brahman effulgence as a great mistake.

The impersonal realization of the Brahman effulgence is the indirect process of understanding the
Absolute Truth and is considered a difficult path according to Bhagavad-gita. "But those who fully
worship the unmanifested, that which lies beyond the perception of the senses, the all-pervading,
inconceivable, fixed and immovable--the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth--by
controlling the various senses and being equally disposed toward everyone, such persons, engaged
in the welfare of all, at last achieve Me. For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested,
impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that
discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied." (Bg.12.3-5)

By realizing this impersonal Brahman, one only realizes the bodily effulgence of the Absolute. In
other words, the all-pervading spiritual force has a source.

This is clearly described in the Caitanya-caritamrita, (Adi.2, 5 & 15):

"What the Upanishads describe as the impersonal Brahman is but the effulgence of His body, and
the Lord known as the Supersoul is but His localized plenary portion. He is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Krishna Himself, full with six opulences. He is the Absolute Truth, and no
other truth is greater than or equal to Him. . . The opulences of the impersonal Brahman spread
throughout the millions and millions of universes. That Brahman is but the bodily effulgence of
Govinda [another name of Krishna]."

The fifteenth and sixteenth mantras of the Isa Upanishad also acknowledge that from the personal
body of God comes the rays of the Brahman effulgence: "O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives,
Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Please remove that covering and exhibit
Yourself to Your pure devotee. O my Lord, O primeval philosopher, maintainer of the universe, O
regulating principle, destination of the pure devotees, well-wisher of the progenitors of mankind--
please remove the effulgence of Your transcendental rays so that I can see Your form of bliss. You
are the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, like unto the sun, as am I."

From these verses it is clear that without going beyond the Brahman effulgence, one cannot see the
real form of the Supreme. If one reaches the stage of realizing the Brahman and becomes convinced
that he has attained the Ultimate, then he does not have complete understanding or full realization.
He still must go further until he has reached the source of the Brahman, which, according to the Isa
Upanishad, is the Supreme Personality.

THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH IS A PERSON

Many times there are so-called gurus or saints who say that the Absolute Truth, especially in
referring to the void or Brahman effulgence, cannot be described with words. Of course, if that
were actually the case, why would they expect people to attend their lectures when they spoke about
the Absolute? But the Vedanta-sutras (1.1.5) point out that, "Brahman is not inexpressible by words,
because it is seen that He is so expressly taught in the Vedas." The Absolute may not be completely
expressible and understood by words alone, but there is a great deal that one can learn by this
means. Beyond this, one can learn by practical experience and realization for which the various
yoga practices are described. This is what the Vedic texts teach.

If the Brahman had no personality or characteristics, then, obviously, Brahman would be very
difficult to describe. But the Vedanta-sutras correct this viewpoint in the very second verse: "He,
from whom proceeds the creation, preservation and reconstruction of the universe, is Brahman."
This is further substantiated in the Mundaka Upanishad (1.1.9) where it states that the Brahman
comes from Him who knows all: "From Him who perceives all and who knows all, whose penance
consists of knowledge, from Him (the highest Brahman) is born that Brahman, name, form and
matter." Therefore, Brahman ultimately means a person. The conclusion, according to the Vedic
texts, is that the Absolute Truth is that source from which everything emanates, and that source is,
ultimately, the Supreme Person.

Since the Brahman effulgence is considered to be but one of the opulences of the Supreme, it should
be understood that whenever the Vedic texts speak of Brahman, they are indicating the Supreme
Personality of God. In fact, it is stated that in the Vedic literature the word Brahman means, "in
whom all the attributes reach to the infinity." In this way, it is clear that Brahman primarily means
the Supreme Person, of whom the Vedic literature is full of descriptions of various aspects of His
infinite qualities and characteristics. The Caitanya-caritamrita clearly states: "The word 'Brahman'
indicates the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is Sri Krishna. That is the verdict of
all Vedic literature." (Cc.Madhya-lila, 6.147)

The Caitanya-caritamrita (Adi.7.112) also explains that, "Everything about the Supreme Personality
of Godhead is spiritual, including His body, opulence and paraphernalia. Mayavadi philosophy,
however, covering His spiritual opulence, advocates the theory of impersonalism."
The Mayavadi impersonalists say that God is formless and has no attributes other than eternity and
knowledge. But the truth of the matter is that God has no material form because He is completely
spiritual. He is a transcendental person. Just as we are individuals, God is also an individual and
has His form. If He were formless only, then He would be less than that which has form. Therefore,
God, the complete whole, must have that which is formless as well as that which has form.
Otherwise, He would not be complete. In this way, the Supreme has immense potencies, including
everything within as well as beyond our experience. Krishna says: "I am the origin of everything.
Everything emanates from Me." (Bg.10.8) Thus, the Supreme expands Himself into everything but
does not lose His original form. This is also confirmed in the first verse of Isa Upanishad where it
says: "Because He is the complete whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him,
He remains the complete balance."

The impersonalists believe that after God has expanded Himself into matter and into the
innumerable living entities, He must no longer exist, just as a large piece of paper no longer exists
once it has been torn into many little pieces. If such were the case, then matter and the living beings
are equal to or the same as God. In other words, the impersonalists say that we are God but are
temporarily undergoing the pains and pleasures in this material world due to forgetfulness of our
godlike position. Once we are free from this illusory forgetfulness, or our individuality, we can
merge back into the Absolute and again become God. But impersonalists fail to explain how the
individual soul became separated from the Brahman effulgence to exist within this material world.
Furthermore, if the soul is the same as God, how could it fall into the illusion of identifying itself as
a material body? How could we, if we are God, be controlled by the illusory energy? This would
mean that material nature is more powerful than God, which would negate God's supremacy.

In the logic of this kind of philosophy, there is no point in praying to God, singing praises to Him, or
serving Him since, being formless, God has no ears to hear you or eyes to see you. In fact, such a
formless God would have very little to do with us. He could not judge what is right or wrong, or
reward the righteous or punish the wrongdoers. This impersonal viewpoint actually pervades much
of our society today and allows people to reason that anyone can do anything he or she wants to do
and face no retribution from God or the universal laws He sets in motion.

Another point is that if God is impersonal, then it puts the process of the creation of the universe in
a different light. If God were simply a mass of energy, it would not be possible for God to create the
material manifestation and then watch over and control it. Thus, the way the world was created
might have happened in any number of different ways. This is the point of view many people have,
especially the scientists who try to piece together proof to show that the theory of evolution is truth
and the world started from some miraculous big bang. The idea that God is simply an impersonal
force or does not exist at all is the one factor which gives theories like evolution and the big bang
some potential for credibility. But in spite of the popularity of these theories, no one has yet proved
them to be true.

These various impersonalist beliefs, as briefly described above, are not supported by the Vedas. The
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says, purnam idam purnat purnam udacyate: "Although He expands in
many ways, He keeps His original personality. His original spiritual body remains as it is." Thus,
we can understand that God can expand His energies in many ways, but is not affected or
diminished in His potency.

The Svetasvatara Upanishad (6.6) also states: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original
person, has multifarious energies. He is the origin of material creation, and it is due to Him only
that everything changes. He is the protector of religion and annihilator of all sinful activities. He is
the master of all opulences." This verse specifically points out that only due to God's multi-
potencies does the world continue to change and be maintained. He also protects religion, which
could not be done if He were impersonal. This is only logical since it takes a person to watch over,
protect, or maintain anything.

In the Katha Upanishad (2.2.13) there is the important verse; nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko
bahunam yo vidadhati kaman: "He is the supreme eternally conscious person who maintains all
other living entities." From these descriptions in the Vedic texts, we can clearly understand that
God is the Supreme Person who is the source of everything and controller of all. This Supreme
Person is the Absolute Truth, as confirmed in the Caitanya-caritamrita (Adi.7.111): "According to
direct understanding, the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has all
spiritual opulences. No one can be equal to or greater than Him."

Since it is established in the Vedic texts that the Absolute is a person, then meditating on the
personal form of God rather than the impersonal feature is the highest form of meditation. This is
verified in Bhagavad-gita (12.2): "The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: 'He whose mind is
fixed on My personal form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith,
is considered by Me to be the most perfect.'"

Herein, we can understand that realizing the Absolute Truth in the form of the Supreme Person is
much easier and much more attractive than struggling to merge into the great white light of the
brahmajyoti. By understanding the Supreme Personality, all other aspects of the Absolute, such as
the Brahman effulgence and Paramatma or Supersoul, are also understood. In fact, those who are
absorbed in Brahman realization can easily become attracted to understanding the Supreme
Personality as did such sages as Sukadeva Gosvami and the Kumaras, as noted in Srimad-
Bhagavatam:

"Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the son of Vyasadeva, Sukadeva
Gosvami. It is he who defeats all inauspicious things within this universe. Although in the beginning

he was absorbed in the happiness of Brahman realization and was living in a secluded place, giving
up all other types of consciousness, he became attracted by the most melodious pastimes of Lord Sri
Krishna. He therefore mercifully spoke the supreme Purana, known as Srimad-Bhagavatam, which
is the bright light of the Absolute Truth and which describes the activities of Lord Krishna." (Bhag.
12.12.68)

"When the breeze carrying the aroma of tulasi leaves and saffron from the lotus feet of the lotus-
eyed Personality of Godhead entered through the nostrils into the hearts of those sages [the
Kumaras], they experienced a change in both body and mind, even though they were attracted to
impersonal Brahman understanding." (Bhag.3.15.43)

How the jnani and other yogis absorbed in the impersonal realization of the Absolute become
attracted to the personal form of God is further described in the Caitanya- caritamrita (Madhya-lila,
17.137,139-140): "The mellows of Lord Krishna's pastimes, which are full of bliss,

attract the jnani from the pleasure of Brahman realization and conquer him. . . The transcendental
qualities of Sri Krishna are completely blissful and relishable. Consequently Lord

Krishna's qualities attract even the minds of self-realized persons from the bliss of self-realization.
Those who are self-satisfied and unattracted by external material desires are also attracted to the
loving service of Sri Krishna, whose qualities are transcendental and whose known as Srimad-
Bhagavatam, which is the bright light of the Absolute Truth and which describes the activities of
Lord Krishna." (Bhag.12.12.68) "When the breeze carrying the aroma of tulasi leaves and saffron
from the lotus feet of the lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead entered through the nostrils into the
hearts of those sages [the Kumaras], they experienced a change in both body and mind, even
though they were attracted to impersonal Brahman understanding." (Bhag.3.15.43)

How the jnani and other yogis absorbed in the impersonal realization of the Absolute become
attracted to the personal form of God is further described in the Caitanya- caritamrita (Madhya-lila,
17.137,139-140): "The mellows of Lord Krishna's pastimes, which are full of bliss,

attract the jnani from the pleasure of Brahman realization and conquer him. . . The transcendental
qualities of Sri Krishna are completely blissful and relishable. Consequently Lord

Krishna's qualities attract even the minds of self-realized persons from the bliss of self-realization.
Those who are self-satisfied and unattracted by external material desires are also attracted to the
loving service of Sri Krishna, whose qualities are transcendental and whose activities are
wonderful. Hari, the Personality of Godhead, is called Krishna because He has such
transcendentally attractive features."
Many of the Gosvamis of Vrindavan who had personally realized the attractive features of the
Supreme wrote many books about the transcendental personality of God. One of the greatest of
these saints was Rupa Gosvami (1489-1564 A.D.) who wrote a list of Krishna's characteristics in his
book, Bhakti rasamrita-sindhu. This list describes 64 different qualities of God that are mentioned
in the Vedic literature. Some of these are; beautiful bodily features, strong, ever-youthful, effulgent,
highly learned and intelligent, artistic, grave, gentle, heroic, happy, expert in joking, talks
pleasingly, source of all other incarnations, giver of salvation, performs wonderful pastimes,
attracts everyone by His flute playing, and so on. All of these qualities are those of someone who has
a highly developed form and personality.

Even the Bible verifies that God has a most beautiful form and is not formless, as is shown in the
next few verses that are very similar to the Vedic description of God's form: "My beloved is white
and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy,
and black as a raven. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk,
and fitly set. His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers; his lips like lilies, dropping sweet
smelling myrrh. His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl; his belly is as bright ivory overlaid
with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold; his countenance is as
Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my
beloved, and this is my friend." (Song of Solomon 5.10-16)
Obviously, there is no more elevated truth or higher bliss than the personal form of the Supreme.
As Sri Krishna says: "O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no truth superior to Me." (Bg.7.7)
Many great transcendental scholars have accepted this fact, including Lord Brahma, who, after
performing many austerities for spiritual purification, became perfectly self-realized and, getting a
glimpse of the Lord's spiritual nature, composed the Brahma-samhita many thousands of years ago
and described what his confidential realizations were.
 Bhakti Yoga: Eternality, Bliss, and Knowledge
Contained Within Sound Vibration
The Perfection of Mantra Recitation
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Radha-Krishna, the Supreme Lovers & Supreme Personalities of Godhead

The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna,
Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the sublime method of reviving our
Krsna consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due
to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by the
material atmosphere. The material atmosphere, in which we are now living, is called Maya, or
illusion. Maya means "that which is not." And what is this illusion? The illusion is that we are all
trying to be lords of material nature, while actually we are under the grip of her stringent laws.
When a servant artificially tries to imitate the all- powerful master, this is called illusion. In this
polluted concept of life, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we
are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities. Therefore, although we are engaged in
a hard struggle to conquer nature, we are ever more dependent on her. This illusory struggle
against material nature can be stopped at once by the revival of our Krsna consciousness.
Krsna consciousness is not an artificial imposition of the mind; this consciousness is the original
energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived.
And this is the process recommended for this age by authorities. By practical experience also, one
can perceive that by chanting this maha-mantra or the Great Chanting for Deliverance, one can at
once feel a transcendental ecstasy coming through from the spiritual stratum. And when one is
factually on the plane of spiritual understanding- surpassing the stages of the senses, mind, and
intelligence-one is situated on the transcendental plane. This chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna,
Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is directly enacted from
the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness-
namely sensual, mental, and intellectual. There is no need, therefore, to understand the language of
the mantra, nor is there any need for mental speculation or any intellectual adjustment for chanting
this maha-mantra. It springs automatically from the spiritual platform, and as such, anyone can
take part in the chanting without any previous qualification, and dance in ecstasy. The word Hara is
the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Krsna and Rama are addressing the
Lord Himself. Both Krsna and Rama mean "the supreme pleasure" and Hara is the supreme
pleasure energy of the Lord, changed to hare in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of the
Lord helps us to reach the Lord.

The material energy, called Maya, is also one of the multi energies of the Lord. And we, the living
entities, are also the energy-marginal energy-of the Lord. The living entities are described as
superior to material energy. When the superior energy is in contact with the inferior energy, an
incompatible situation arises; but when the superior marginal energy is in contact with the superior
energy, called Hara, the living entity is established in his happy, normal condition.

These three words, namely Hare, Krsna, and Rama, are transcendental seeds of the maha-mantra.
The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Hara, to give protection to the
conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for its mother. Mother Hara
helps the devotee achieve the grace of the supreme Father, Hari, or Krsna, and the Lord reveals
Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely. No other means of spiritual realization,
therefore, is as effective in this age as chanting the maha- mantra:

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare